Vapor phase epitaxial growth apparatus and semiconductor wafer production method

Abstract

A vapor phase epitaxial growth apparatus, comprising a chamber, to which a wafer is fed; a gas introduction device for introducing a reaction gas into the chamber; a gas flow amount sensor for detecting a flow amount of the reaction gas introduced by the gas introduction device; heaters for heating the wafer fed into the chamber; a heat adjusting device for adjusting heating energy by the heaters; a temperature sensors for detecting a temperature of the wafer fed into the chamber; a control device for receiving as parameters a gas flow amount detected by the gas flow amount sensor and a wafer temperature detected by the temperature sensors, obtaining an optimal value of heating energy for attaining the most uniform epitaxial film based on a predetermined simulation-model, and outputting the same to the heat adjusting device.

1 . A vapor phase epitaxial growth apparatus, comprising: 
 a chamber, to which a wafer is fed;    a gas introduction device for introducing a reaction gas to the chamber;    a gas flow amount detector for detecting a flow amount of the reaction gas introduced by the gas introduction device;    a heater for heating the wafer fed into the chamber;    a heat adjusting device for adjusting heating energy by the heater;    a temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the wafer fed into the chamber;    a controller for receiving as parameters a gas flow amount detected by the gas flow amount detector and a wafer temperature detected by the temperature detector, obtaining an optimal value of heating energy for attaining the most uniform epitaxial film based on a predetermined simulation model, and outputting the same to the heat adjusting device.    
   
   
       2 . A vapor phase epitaxial growth apparatus, comprising: 
 a chamber, to which a wafer is fed;    a gas introduction device for introducing a reaction gas to the chamber;    a gas flow amount adjusting device for adjusting a flow amount of the reaction gas by the gas introduction device;    a heater for heating the wafer fed into the chamber;    a heating energy detector for detecting heating energy supplied by the heater;    a temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the wafer fed into the chamber;    a controller for receiving as parameters heating energy detected by the heating energy detector and a wafer temperature detected by the temperature detector, obtaining an optimal value of a reaction gas flow amount for attaining the most uniform epitaxial film based on a predetermined simulation model, and outputting the same to the gas flow amount adjusting device.    
   
   
       3 . The vapor phase epitaxial growth apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the heater comprises an upper inner side heater provided at an inner side of an upper portion of the chamber, an upper outer side heater provided at an outer side of the upper portion, a lower inner side heater provided at an inner side of a lower portion of the chamber and a lower outer side heater provided at an outer side of the lower portion;    the controller obtains optimal values of heating energy of the respective heater and outputting the same to the heat adjusting device; and    the heat adjusting device adjusts the heating energy of the respective heater.    
   
   
       4 . The vapor phase epitaxial growth apparatus as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 the gas introduction device comprises a center gas introduction device for introducing a reaction gas to the center of the wafer fed into the chamber and an outer side gas introduction device for introducing the reaction gas to the outer side of the wafer fed into the chamber;    the controller obtains optimal values of reaction gas flow amounts of the respective gas introduction device and outputting the same to the gas flow amount adjusting device; and    the gas flow amount adjusting device adjusts flow amounts of the reaction gas of the respective gas introduction device.    
   
   
       5 . The vapor phase epitaxial growth apparatus as set forth in  claim 1  any one of  claims 1  to  4 , wherein the temperature detector comprises a center temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the center of the wafer fed into the chamber and a periphery temperature detector for detecting a temperature around the wafer.  
   
   
       6 . A production method of a semiconductor wafer for heating a wafer fed into a chamber and introducing a reaction gas into the chamber to form an epitaxial film on a surface of said wafer by thermal decomposition of the reaction gas, comprising the steps of: 
 detecting a flow amount of the reaction gas introduced into the chamber;    detecting a temperature of the wafer fed into the chamber;    inputting as parameters the gas flow amount detected by the above step and the wafer temperature detected by the above step, and obtaining an optimal value of heating energy for attaining the most uniform epitaxial film based on a predetermined simulation model; and    heating the wafer by the optimal value of heating energy obtained in the above step.    
   
   
       7 . A production method of a semiconductor wafer for heating a wafer fed into a chamber and introducing a reaction gas into the chamber to form an epitaxial film on a surface of the wafer by thermal decomposition of said reaction gas, comprising the steps of: 
 detecting heating energy supplied to the wafer fed into the chamber;    detecting a temperature of the wafer fed into the chamber;    inputting as parameters the heating energy detected in the above step and the wafer temperature detected in the above step, and obtaining an optimal value of a reaction gas flow amount for attaining the most uniform epitaxial film based on a predetermined simulation model; and    introducing the reaction gas into the chamber by the optimal value of the reaction gas flow amount obtained in the above step.    
   
   
       8 . The production method of a semiconductor wafer as set forth in  claim 6 , comprising the steps of: 
 heating the wafer fed into the chamber by a plurality of heater;    obtaining optimal values of heating energy of the respective heater; and    heating the wafer by the optimal values of the respective heater obtained in the above step.    
   
   
       9 . The production method of a semiconductor wafer as set forth in  claim 7 , comprising the steps of: 
 introducing a reaction gas into the chamber by a gas introduction device for introducing the reaction gas to the center of the wafer and a gas introduction device for introducing the reaction gas to the outer side of the wafer;    obtaining optimal values of the reaction gas flow amounts of the respective gas introduction device; and    introducing the reaction gas into the chamber by the optimal values of the respective gas introduction device obtained in the above step.    
   
   
       10 . The production method of a semiconductor wafer as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein a temperature of the center of the wafer and a temperature around the wafer are detected in the step of detecting the temperature of the wafer fed into the chamber.  
   
   
       11 . The vapor phase epitaxial growth apparatus as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein the temperature detector comprises a center temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the center of the wafer fed into the chamber and a periphery temperature detector for detecting a temperature around the wafer.  
   
   
       12 . The vapor phase epitaxial growth apparatus as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein the temperature detector comprises a center temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the center of the wafer fed into the chamber and a periphery temperature detector for detecting a temperature around the wafer.  
   
   
       13 . The vapor phase epitaxial growth apparatus as set forth in  claim 4 , wherein the temperature detector comprises a center temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the center of the wafer fed into the chamber and a periphery temperature detector for detecting a temperature around the wafer.  
   
   
       14 . The production method of a semiconductor wafer as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein a temperature of the center of the wafer and a temperature around the wafer are detected in the step of detecting the temperature of the wafer fed into the chamber.  
   
   
       15 . The production method of a semiconductor wafer as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein a temperature of the center of the wafer and a temperature around the wafer are detected in the step of detecting the temperature of the wafer fed into the chamber.  
   
   
       16 . The production method of a semiconductor wafer as set forth in  claim 9 , wherein a temperature of the center of the wafer and a temperature around the wafer are detected in the step of detecting the temperature of the wafer fed into the chamber.